PSYCHOLOGY · IB Diploma Programme
Psychology Exam Tips
In Paper 1, you face exactly 120 minutes to secure 49 marks. This requires a disciplined and strict pacing plan: allocate precisely 20 minutes for each of the three Short Answer Questions (SAQs) in Section A (totaling 60 minutes), leaving you a full 60 minutes for the Section B E…
Papers
3
Total marks
117
Time limit
5h
Grade scale
Additional note
Calculator policy
A graphic display calculator (GDC) from the IB-approved list is required for most Mathematics and Sciences papers and must be set to examination mode. Note that some papers do not permit a calculator (for example Mathematics Paper 1 and the multiple-choice Sciences Paper 1).
3
Papers
5
Strategies
6
Mistakes
- In Paper 1, you face exactly 120 minutes to secure 49 marks. This requires a disciplined and strict pacing plan: allocate precisely 20 minutes for each of the three Short Answer Questions (SAQs) in Section A (totaling 60 minutes), leaving you a full 60 minutes for the Section B Extended Response Question (ERQ). Top scorers treat the 20-minute mark as a hard boundary. Exceeding this limit immediately jeopardizes your 22-mark essay, where depth of analysis directly correlates with the highest mark bands. For Paper 2, you have exactly 60 minutes for a single essay. Spend the first 5 minutes planning, 50 minutes writing, and 5 minutes reviewing your argument. A written plan is your absolute insurance policy against unstructured tangents.
Tips are paraphrased for study purposes from exam structure data and marking patterns. Always verify against your official syllabus and mark scheme.